9th Circuit Court

Employers can’t use salary history to justify lower pay for women, full 9th Circuit rules

The Equal Pay Act does not permit paying lower salaries to women based on their pay histories, according to the en banc 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco. Salary history is not a “factor other than sex” that can justify unequal pay for comparable jobs, the appeals…

Feb 28, 2020 10:40 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Trump bashes Sotomayor and Ginsburg; PDs reach deal in masturbating-inmate suit

Trump says Justices Sotomayor and Ginsburg should recuse in his cases President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg should recuse themselves in all Trump-related matters before the high court. Trump called for recusal on Twitter and in a news conference. Trump…

Feb 25, 2020 4:24 PM CST

Supreme Court bars damages suit for border agent’s cross-border shooting that killed Mexican teen

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the family of a Mexican teen fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent can’t sue for damages over the cross-border shooting.

Feb 25, 2020 12:01 PM CST

Over 70 former Reinhardt clerks urge judiciary to change reporting procedures and training

Accusations of sexual harassment against the late Judge Stephen Reinhardt, a federal appeals judge, have led to a call for action by dozens of his former law clerks. Seventy-two former Reinhardt clerks signed an open letter seeking new procedures for reporting workplace misconduct by judges and supervisors, as well as improved training on sexual harassment.

Feb 21, 2020 12:04 PM CST

Dissolved law firm has no right to profits in hourly fee matters taken to new firm, appeals court says

The bankruptcy trustee for the dissolved Howrey law firm has lost another round in his bid to claw back profits from partners who took hourly matters with them to new law firms.

Feb 18, 2020 11:01 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Some of Justice Scalia’s papers are now public; House lifts ERA deadline

Some of Justice Scalia’s papers are now publicly available The legal and academic papers of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia are now available for public viewing, at the Harvard Law School Library. The collection includes photos, postcards and notes, too. The library plans to release the collection…

Feb 13, 2020 3:27 PM CST

Former clerk for late Judge Stephen Reinhardt alleges sexual harassment and ‘profane atmosphere’

A former law clerk for the late Judge Stephen Reinhardt alleged Thursday that the liberal federal appeals judge had created a "profane atmosphere" and sexually harassed her on a weekly and even daily basis.

Feb 13, 2020 11:56 AM CST

Federal judge should not have tossed case over late-filed document, 9th Circuit says

U.S. District Judge Manuel Real acted too harshly when he tossed a case because a document was filed a week past the deadline, according to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco.

Feb 11, 2020 11:23 AM CST

Justice Ginsburg calls for renewed effort to pass Equal Rights Amendment

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg celebrated Monday evening the centennial of the 19th Amendment that gives women the right to vote as a “miracle” and a “first step towards equal citizenship stature for women.” But she still holds out hope for another goal of the suffragist movement—the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Feb 11, 2020 10:43 AM CST

Lawmakers ask for ‘frank examination’ of response to federal judge’s sexual misconduct

Members of the House Judiciary Committee are calling for “a frank examination of the adequacy of the steps taken to address” sexual misconduct by a federal judge in Kansas.

Feb 7, 2020 10:59 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Political climate motivates would-be lawyers; Avenatti trial begins

Is the ‘Trump Bump’ still a thing? Politics continue to play a role in law school applicants’ decision-making processes, according to recent surveys from Kaplan Test Prep, but less so than it did last year. Out of 421 people who took the company’s LSAT course, 41% indicated that the country’s…

Jan 29, 2020 3:07 PM CST

DOJ environmental chief tells courts he inadvertently let his law license lapse

A top Department of Justice lawyer is notifying courts that he inadvertently let his Washington, D.C., law license lapse around Oct. 1, a mistake he didn’t discover and correct until Dec. 9.

Jan 28, 2020 10:15 AM CST

Asylum-seekers have a right to federal court review of expedited removal orders, ABA amicus brief says

The ABA filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday in support of a Sri Lankan who faced political persecution and is challenging a policy that says asylum-seekers are not entitled to federal court review of expedited removal orders.

Jan 23, 2020 12:40 PM CST

Convicted murderer who presented evidence of his lawyer’s racist views wins 9th Circuit appeal

The en banc 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco has granted relief to a convicted murderer who contended he was entitled to a new trial because of his appointed lawyer’s racist views.

Jan 21, 2020 11:15 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Youths’ climate-change suit tossed; Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz join Trump legal team

9th Circuit tosses youths’ climate-change suit on standing grounds The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco dismissed Friday a climate-change lawsuit filed on behalf of 21 youths who claim a constitutional right to a climate capable of sustaining human life. The court said in the 2-1 decision…

Jan 17, 2020 3:48 PM CST